#MoveTheDate
2.4
Days
Cargo bikes make many new types of bicycle trips possible, such as transporting children, groceries, or bulky purchases. The widespread adoption of cargo bicycles, on top of expanding bicycle infrastructure, can reduce car-use by a further 10%. This would move back Earth Overshoot Day by over 2 days.
What is the solution?
Expand the adoption of cargo bikes for the transportation of children, groceries, and home goods, as well as last-mile deliveries. Cargo bikes can carry over 200 kg (or 440 lbs) across a city, and if supported by electric motors, even further.
This solution improves our resource security in the cities and energy categories.
How does it #MoveTheDate?
Increasing the portion of trips which are possible via bicycle reduces the number of car trips that are necessary. It allows people to live car free, and strengthens the case for expanding bicycle infrastructure.
How is it scalable?
Although popular in cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, cargo bikes still comprise a very small portion of bicycle use. With the increased availability and affordability of electric motors, cargo bicycles are becoming increasingly effective and convenient. Better bicycle infrastructure would increase the practicality of cargo bikes further.
What is the solution?
Expand the adoption of cargo bikes for the transportation of children, groceries, and home goods, as well as last-mile deliveries. Cargo bikes can carry over 200 kg (or 440 lbs) across a city, and if supported by electric motors, even further.
This solution improves our resource security in the cities and energy categories.
How does it #MoveTheDate?
Increasing the portion of trips which are possible via bicycle reduces the number of car trips that are necessary. It allows people to live car free, and strengthens the case for expanding bicycle infrastructure.
How is it scalable?
Although popular in cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, cargo bikes still comprise a very small portion of bicycle use. With the increased availability and affordability of electric motors, cargo bicycles are becoming increasingly effective and convenient. Better bicycle infrastructure would increase the practicality of cargo bikes further.
From “butcher’s bikes” to boda-bodas and cycle-rickshaws, cargo bikes have been around for almost as long as bicycles themselves. It is a broad category, with as many different designs as there are potential uses, and the development of inexpensive electric motors and batteries means that even more designs are becoming possible.
Find more about how both cities and daily household schedules can be designed around cargo bikes at City Changer Cargo Bikes (CCCB), a European organization which brings together cities, research institutions, and NGOs with the goal of expanding the role of cargo bikes in cities. The CCCB website includes accessible guides to cargo bikes for all audiences, including 20 Good Reasons to Ride a Cargo Bike, A Mayor’s Guide to Cargo Bikes, A Retailer’s Guide to Cargo Bikes, and The Cargo-Bike Friendly City.
There’s no benefit in waiting!
Acting now puts you at a strategic advantage in a world increasingly defined by ecological overshoot. Countless solutions exist that #MoveTheDate. They’re creative, economically viable, and ready to deploy at scale. With them, we can make ourselves more resilient and #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day. If we move the date 6 days each year, humanity can be out of overshoot before 2050.